New Beginings
by animeloveramy
Summary: 'I chuckled dryly at the irony; after spending years risking my life to kill hollows I was taken down by some rich playboy in their new Porsche.' KarinxToushiro. character death...or new life I suppose
1. Chapter 1

**Ok, so this was set after the winter war and Ichigo has his powers back. Karin is around 17 now so Ichigo would be…22? Ok? Everyone on board? Let's go then!**

**oxo…oxo**

I blinked harshly as I opened my eyes, trying to get them used to the bright light of the sun above me. When that was done, I looked around. Where in the name of karma was I? I was in the middle of a bustling street that looked like a scene from the feudal era, that much I knew, but where was that? People all around me were wearing plain looking kimono's and some of the adults were running stalls while others were wandering around; in and out of the wooden buildings down either side of the street. A couple of deprived looking kids with dirt on their faces and in their hair raced past me carrying some sort of jar in their hands. I guessed they had stolen it from the commotion going on further down the road.

But none of that explained where I was or why I was here. The last thing I could remember was staring into my brothers sad and somewhat tear filled eyes, before placing his sword to my forehead. Wait - Ichigo had been crying? But he never cries…what had happened? I put a hand to my head in effort to remember. The memory came to me grudgingly. I had been walking along the path with Yuzu when I had felt a hollow. It had been close and in order to ensure my sisters safety I had bolted across the road to kill it. Thing was I had been too intent on killing the hollow I hadn't seen the car that was speeding down the road. I chuckled dryly at the irony; after spending years risking my life to kill hollows I was taken down by some rich playboy in their new Porsche.

"Are you ok down there?" a worried voice asked from above me causing me to look up in surprise. A woman with charcoal hair and misty grey eyes was staring at me with a concerned frown on her face. She, like everyone else, was wearing a kimono but hers looked slightly more well kept than some of the others I had seen. It was then that I realised I was sitting down in the middle of the street with a kimono of my own wrapped around my body. It was a dark blue and quite nice compared to the grey ones I could see all around me. I smiled at the woman gratefully before pulling myself unsteadily to my feet. She gripped my shoulder and smiled. "A newcomer?" she asked politely. I looked at her in confusion, struggling to work my brain well enough to understand.

"What do you mean?" I asked her, my speech slightly woozy. I cleared my throat slightly as she giggled.

"You are new to the soul society, aren't you?" she asked me with kind amusement. My eyes widened slightly. This was the soul society? I asked her and she nodded. "Yes. It seems you have heard of it before." She stated. It wasn't really a question but I answered her anyway.

"Yes; my brother was a substitute shinigami and I helped him fight hollows some times." I explained, my voice slightly regretful as I realised that my old life was gone; perhaps forever. The woman looked startled.

"You fought hollows?" she asked, her voice ringing with admiration and praise. I nodded and she gasped slightly. "That's amazing. You should go to the shinigami academy. Here; come with me and I will tell you more at my house. Places like this aren't very safe for meaningful conversation." She told me and I smiled at her before agreeing, following the woman down the street. She was very easy to talk to and I found myself telling her everything about me, my family, how I had died. She told me stories of her time here and I soon found out she was a servant in a noble's house though she never told me the name. After leading me into a nicer part of the large city, she took me to her house.

The little wooden building sat in a nice bed of flowers and seemed to be situated very close to the noble ground as I could see a set of large, old style mansion houses surrounded by a large garden not too far up the road. I supposed this was normal, having their staff so close. When we were inside she made us tea and we sat down under the kotatsu that was set out in the middle of the living room. The house was split in three with no upstairs; a living room, a bedroom and a kitchen and all three were fairly open to each other. I assumed the toilet was somewhere outside if they even needed to do such human things.

"So, shinigami have academies?" I asked the woman, whose name I had discovered was Akane. She smiled at me as I sipped my tea tentatively.

"Only one" she told me pointedly, and I looked at her with an eyebrow raised. "They only have one and you need a high spiritual pressure to get in. Are you hungry?" she asked me. I frowned at her in confusion before nodding.

"I am a bit, yes but what does that have to do with anything?" I asked her, my patience being tested for the fist time since I had met her.

"If you are hungry it means you have a high spiritual pressure. People without, like me, don't get hungry." She explained. I raised an eyebrow.

"Really? I asked her curiously and she nodded.

"Oh yes. We _can_ eat, if we want to, but we never get hungry." She explained with a smile. I grinned.

"Cool. So how do I get into this academy then?" I asked her curiously. Maybe, if I became a shinigami, I would be able to see Ichigo again.

"Well, you need to pass an exam to get in but you are allowed to retake it if you don't pass." She told me and my grin widened. An exam? That would be easy. I had always been good at school, if bored stiff of it. I suppose I was a lot like Ichigo. Was. Damn; I'm already speaking like I was dead and, though I new I technically was, it felt demeaning to think it when I was sitting here talking to someone.

"When is it?" I asked, assuming there were set times for these tests. Akane thought about it for a moment before answering.

"Actually, I think the next one is tomorrow." She said thoughtfully. I blanched; tomorrow? That didn't give me much time.

"What do I need to know?" I asked her hurriedly, slightly panicked at the lack of time. Akane chuckled slightly.

"Calm down young one. You only really need to prove you have spiritual power and from what you've told me that should be easy for you." She assured me and I calmed down slightly. "Come." She told me, getting up and heading for the door. I watched her with wide eyes before scrambling to my feet and jogging swiftly out of the door after her.

"Where are we going?" I asked her as I came up to her side. She smiled down at me before answering.

"We need to enter you for this exam, don't we? Then you can stay at my house for the night and take the exam in the morning. I suppose I should buy some food for you too." She murmured the last part to herself, her fingers stroking her lips in thought. I stared at her. She was doing so much for me without anything in return, why? I asked her so and she looked at me in such a way that it made me uncomfortable, then she looked away with a sad look on her face. "You remind me of someone I knew a long, long time ago." She told me softly. I remained quiet, just following her through the streets as she walked dazedly towards wherever it was we were going.

"Thank you." I told her as we arrived at a large building that looked like it could house a school. She smiled at me before leading me inside.

"It's not a problem." She replied as we walked into the reception area of the large building. The place seemed quite small for the size of the school but something told me it was because this was the least important place in it. A girl in a white but red striped kosode with two red circles over both breasts and a red hakama sat at the desk doing some paperwork, her eyes entirely focused on her writing. Only when Akane cleared her throat did she look up in surprise.

"Oh, I'm sorry. What can I do for you?" she asked politely. I smirked slightly at her nervous posture. She didn't look like the kind of girl who interacted well with people.

"My friend Karin here would like to enter the exam tomorrow if possible. She only got here this morning so couldn't enter before." Akane explained smoothly. The girl nodded before fishing out a paper from one of the draws and studying it carefully. Then she nodded.

"Ok, it looks like there are a few places left so that's ok. Can you sign this please, putting your name, the date and the date of your arrival?" she asked me and I nodded, taking the piece of paper and pen she offered me and writing in the details she had asked for in what looked like a consent form. When I was finished I handed it back, letting her study it carefully for any flaws before leaving. When she smiled at me and told me I was to report in the first training arena at 9am tomorrow I nodded and left with Akane. Maybe dieing wouldn't be so bad after all.

**oxo…oxo**

**Well, I hope you like this… it's going to be a Toushiro/Karin FF I believe though I don't know how long it will take for said soul reaper to show up…it will probably be focused mainly on Karin though I hope people don't mind if I somewhat skip the exam, I mean it will be there and stuff just it wont be in detail because I don't know what the exam is and it doesn't tell you on bleach wiki…**

**Second thoughts I'll make it up. ^_^**

**Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**oxo…oxo**

I woke the next morning with a growing feeling of dread. I had never entered an exam feeling so unready before and I was feeling so uneasy I nearly skipped breakfast.

"You need to eat Karin!" Akane scolded me when I told her I wanted to go without food. "Do you really think not eating will make you do any better?" she asked me as I frowned at her. Sighing, I grabbed the sandwich she had made for me and stuffed it in my mouth, causing her to smile slightly.

It didn't take long for us to get to the academy and, unlike yesterday, the office was filled with people, most older and taller than me and all seemingly waiting for the exam. This only made me feel more nervous and I was suddenly thankful for Akane's hand as it gripped my shoulder comfortingly. At nine o'clock exactly we were all called into the arena and I had to leave Akane behind.

As we arrived we were given a number. I assumed it was to make it easier to tell us apart and would tell each of us if we had passed or not without using our names and henceforth saving us the embarrassment if we failed. The impersonality of it all made me sweat.

We were tested one by one, each of us showing the examiners our hands which they proceeded to place a strange devise on that made some beeping sounds before they were taken off. It was one of the strangest tests I had ever taken and when I left I had no idea whether I passed or not.

We were sent into another room further down the hall that looked like an old fashioned classroom while they decided which of us would pass and which of us wasn't. I have to say that those few minutes could have been some of the worst in my life. I concentrated on my breathing as I looked around at the others in the room. They seemed as nervous as me.

One, a girl with long, curly golden locks and bright, sky blue eyes, caught my eye and we shared a terrified look. Some boys in the corner were whispering quietly to themselves and the whole room felt very tense as we waited for the results. After an agonisingly long wait one of the teachers, a male shinigami with blue eyes and blond hair that covered half his face, came in with a large sheet of paper that he proceeded to pin up on the board before flash stepping quickly away.

I soon found out the reason for his speedy exit; the paper held the numbers of the people going through and was soon swamped with people pushing about, trying to get a look. There were cries of happiness and groans of disappointment as I waited patiently for the crowd to thin so I could walk over to it without being crushed. When that was possible I made my way over to the board, my heart beating faster than ever before. I had never cared so much about the results to an exam before in my life. Though, thinking about it, I still hadn't but I decided that was a very sombre way of looking at things and pushed it from my mind.

My number was 32 and as I looked it took me a while to spot it but it was there and I felt a grin come to my face as I saw the number on the paper. It was the last number on it but I figured that was because it was the highest number to get through seeing as I had been one of the last to sign up. Grinning mentally to myself I resisted the urge to punch the air before following the directions on the bottom of the paper telling us to go back through to the arena.

When I arrived I lent myself against on of the hard stone walls and waited for the teacher counting the people coming through the door to speak. After a few other people had trickled into the hall, the man looked at us with a smile. It was the same man who had pinned the results up and I instantly liked him though I wasn't completely sure why.

"Welcome students. Congratulations on entering the academy but we would now like you to participate in some more tests to be able to correctly group you." He said, his voice seemed to be slightly forced in its happiness and I wondered why he tried to keep up that kind of appearance with students. My old teacher never had. "I will call you into the arena next to us one at a time to test your skills and then you'll be free to go." He explained, holding the clipboard in his hand up to his face before reading out the first number; two. Great, they were going in order. That meant I would be the last in. sighing slightly I sank to the ground and waited. And waited. And waited. Soon I was the only one still in the arena and, just as I was beginning to revel in the piece and quiet, I was called in.

The arena I was called into was slightly smaller than the other but in this one the sides were filled with people holding clipboards. Some of them were wearing shinigami outfits but most were in the red outfit the girl from yesterday was wearing or a blue version just like it. I assumed this was the uniform as most of the people wearing it looked more eager than those dressed in black.

"Number 32, Kurosaki Karin." The man at the door announced as I walked in. apparently the name 'Kurosaki' had spread further than even Ichigo had thought because all the shinigami looked at me in surprised interest and even some of the students were struggling to hide their curiosity. I gulped, quite unnerved by the eyes now watching my every move. The blonde haired teacher was staring at me intently as he beckoned me forwards.

I walked over to him cautiously, wondering exactly what it was he wanted me to do. When he gave me the wooden katana I could feel myself grinning. Sword fighting was something I could do as hat un' clogs had taught me how so I would find fighting hollows easier. He had also given me a sword to use and it had come in handy many times. Adjusting the weight of the wood in my hand I eyed the student who had just flash stepped in front of me, a wooden katana in her hand also and an over confident grin on her face.

"Begin!" the blonde said and I dodged as the girl lunged at me, her long brown hair flying out behind her and her deep brown eyes blazing. I dodged it before ducking under her arm and pushing her onto the floor causing the people round the room to gasp slightly in surprise. The girl blinked at me, astonished, before her eyes narrowed and she disappeared, flash stepping behind me and catching me slightly of guard. I blocked it skilfully before turning and lashing out at her. She stepped back with a grimace before attacking me again, growling as I blocked it. Then she flash stepped again.

This time I kept my eyes on her, trying to track her movements and finding it surprisingly easy. She came at me from the other side, a smirk on her face. She thought she had won with this but I ducked her katana before using my shoulder to push her back to the floor. I smirked as she sat there winded and she growled at me, pulling her brown hair from her face as she glared up at me.

"Enough." Came the blonde teacher's voice as the girl began towards me again. She stopped and glared at me, clearly considering mutiny, before dropping the wooden sword and flash stepping huffily back to her seat. My eyes trailed her before focusing on the blonde who was looking at me in slight surprise. I raised an eyebrow causing him to blink before smiling slightly at me. "Good." He praised me as he walked over. I could see his Zampacto now, strapped to his side; a dreary green colour that seemed to suit him in a way I couldn't explain. "Tell me, have you ever done kido before?" he asked, obviously feeling the need to ask due to my unexpected skill at swordplay. I cocked my head slightly before looking at him.

"Um, no." I replied, not really caring for being polite. The man didn't seem to care much either by the looks of it as his smile just seemed to increase. A forced smile that I was beginning to become annoyed at.

"Well then, watch me and see if you can copy, ok?" he told me before turning to a target area I hadn't noticed before and held a palm up to it, his face becoming serious and more natural. I smiled slightly upon seeing his usual expression before watching what he was doing. "Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south! Hado, 31 Shakkaho!" he cried, a large ball of red reitsu surging from his palm before destroying the target just to the right of the middle one. I could feel I was staring; the only person I had seen do that was Rukia and even then not often. Then he turned to me, the fake smile back in place.

Glaring at him I moved forwards before pointing my hand at the target like he had done, aiming for the middle one. Taking a deep breath I repeated what I had just heard, hoping it would work. To my surprise, and everyone else's it would seem, the red ball of energy exploded from my hand and completely destroyed the middle target, leaving only the smoking edge of the pole. I stared at it in shock before looking at he teacher's equally shocked face. He blinked before looking at me with wide eyes.

"You certainly are just like Ichigo!" he told me as he brushed his hand through his hair. My eyes widened.

"You know my brother?" I asked hurriedly, turning to him with pleading eyes. He just stared at me a moment before the smile was back, though this one looked more real than his previous.

"So he _is_ your brother. Yes, I know him. I saved him once actually though he probably would never admit it." he explained. Noticing my curious eyes he stuck his hand out to me. "Izuru Kira, third squad lieutenant." He introduced himself. I grinned at him before clutching his hand and shaking it firmly. A shy smile came to Kira's face before he cleared his throat and ushered me through into the next room where everyone else was waiting.

**oxo…oxo**

**Well, that's chapter two. I think I'm going to have her whiz through the academy, after all; Ichigo never had to go there ^_^**

**Hope your liking it! **

**Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**oxo…oxo**

It was another long wait before Kira finally came back in, his clipboard still in his hand and the fake smile back on his face. "Ok. We have decided which classes to put you in. I will call out the names in each class and you can go together to meet your teacher." He explained after getting the groups attention. They were all pretty hyped up after passing the 'exam'. I smirked at him slightly as our eyes met but he didn't acknowledge me, only looked away and began to call out the higher class. I frowned as he finished the calls for that class and moved onto the lower set, wondering what the hell was going on.

My frown turned to a glare as he failed to call out my name for the lower class either and I turned my eyes on him as he lowered the clipboard. His smile had gone and he was looking at me with hard eyes.

"What gives?" I asked in annoyance, not showing any politeness anymore. He frowned at me before sighing.

"It seems you are to be privately tutored." He explained, walking over to me as the others were led into there classrooms by their respective teachers. My eyes narrowed.

"Ok…so what?" I said, not failing to show my growing impatience.

"As you are so advanced in some areas but lacking in knowledge in others you are to be tutored privately by two teachers. One will teach you kido and the other will teach you Hakuda and Hoho. You will be joining the sixth year's advanced class of sword fighting for half of its lessons but, since you don't have a Zampacto yet, you will spend the other half of those lessons working with me in the third squad barracks." He told me, watching as my eyes widened at the last part of what he said.

"I'm going to be a shinigami straight away?" I asked in amazement. Kira shook his head.

"Not really. You'll be doing some of the paperwork to get used to it. they seem to think that when you graduate you will be assigned to either a third seat or a lieutenant so they want you trained in that department also." He told me, looking me straight in the eyes as he explained this. I was amazed. Was it really going to be that easy? Or was it just that they expected me to work hard and get in? What ever it was, I wasn't complaining.

"Cool." I replied, a grin spreading on my face as I thought of the possibilities. Then, I remembered something.

"Hey, Izuru?" I spoke up to the blonde curiously. He looked down at me expressionlessly. "Toushiro, which captain is he?" I asked, kind of hoping he would be third with Kira. The shinigami raised an eyebrow before answering.

"Hitsugaya Toushiro is the tenth squad's captain." He told me, his voice wondering and curious though his face remained unchanged. I looked down, a little disappointed and realising that I had already known the answer really; Matsumoto had been his leutenant.

"Oh." I said before cursing myself mentally. I had tried not to sound so disappointed but it sounded depressed even to my ears. Damn. What an idiot am I? Kira looked at me strangely for a moment before gesturing for me to follow him and walked out of the room, me at his heels. As he led me through the corridors of the academy I tried my best to remember which way I had come. I had never been very good and finding my way around places like this but I felt it might be a little easier if I remembered the views out of the window; all of the walls looked the same.

We were silent as we walked through the corridors, the cream coloured walls bright against the black of Kira's clothing and the bright sky bluer than I had ever seen it before; shining sapphire in the light of the sun. It was a beautiful place, the soul society; more beautiful than even Rukia had told. It made me smile slightly and as we walked and when we arrived at an old fashioned sliding door Kira turned to me with a slight smile.

"Your teachers should both be in there by now. You can go back to your house or wherever you came from tonight and your room will be ready for you by tomorrow. I'll get someone to show it to you in the morning." He told me before waving his arm in the direction of the door. I gulped slightly before nodding and gently pushing the door open. Behind it was another of the old fashioned school rooms that I had been in earlier only this one was smaller with less benches and had only one small blackboard at the front where as the other had had three large ones nailed to the walls. When I looked back to ask Kira a question, the blonde had gone. Little bugger. Turning back to the room I studied the two people inside.

A lady that looked a few inches taller than me who had wavy black hair that fell out of the rugged bun it was up in and onto her shoulders and amber eyes that were staring at the man next to her with raised eyebrows and an annoyed expression. Said man was also tall, at least 6ft, and had short bronze hair that hung nicely round his face and chestnut coloured eyes. His lips were twisted into an idiotic grin and I assumed he had just said something that was idiotically stupid but he found amusing. That was confirmed by the punch he received shortly after I had opened the door that sent him flying into the opposite wall. I covered my mouth in amusement, failing to remain quiet as the woman turned to look at me with curious eyes.

"So, your Karin I take it?" she asked, her voice as smooth as honey and just as sweet but it was a sour sweetness of someone who was annoyed but trying their best to hide it. I nodded slightly, eyeing her before turning my gaze to the man groaning on the floor as he struggled to sit up. They were both wearing the shinigami uniform though neither of them had Zampacto's on them.

"Was that entirely necessary Yuki?" he asked, rubbing his head with his hand as he looked at the lady with a sour expression. She glared at him.

"Absolutely." She told him snippily before turning back to me, her eyes and expression cold. "I'm Humienta Yuki and I've been told I'm teachin' you Hakuda and Hoho. The idiot be'ind me is Uhmeda Yoshiro. As I'm sure you've been told 'e teaches kido." She told me, a slight accent to her speech I couldn't recognise. I nodded at her slightly, unable to decide whether or not to like her yet before she vanished, flash stepping from the room. I caught five steps before she was invisible to me.

"Please excuse her rudeness; she was annoyed at me. I will be tutoring you this morning and not only on kido. I will be working with you on your Zampacto as well, spiritually training you before and after you get it; helping you discover its name and powers. But today, we will try kido, ne?" the man, Yoshiro, asked with a smile. I turned to him with raised eyebrows.

"Why was she annoyed at you?" I asked, the informality of the question caused him to raise an eyebrow but he said nothing of it, only scratching the back of his head guiltily. He had, by now, gotten up of the floor and looked as if nothing had happened.

"Well, see she's easy to tease and I guess I went too far…" he explained before his eyes turned serious. "Now sit and I'll teach you the basic's behind kido and how to control it." he told me before gesturing for me to sit and launching into a detailed explanation of how kido worked and how to control it. For once I found myself listening to my teacher intently; this shinigami stuff was more interesting then I had thought it would be.

Yoshiro's lesson took us up to lunch and he had even started going through the chants for a few of the Hado's. As the bell signalling the end of lessons for the morning rang, I got up; not entirely sure what I was supposed to do.

"I have lunch for you here today." Yoshiro told me before throwing me a box which I easily caught. Inside was a bento; slightly messed up but still in good shape. I grinned at him before digging in. I hadn't realised I was that hungry.

"What would I usually do then?" I asked through a mouthful of rice. He frowned before swallowing his own mouthful and answering.

"You should really start calling me sensei. Yuki won't tolerate you not and it really is proper." He said before his face smoothed itself into a smile. "But normally you would go down to the dining hall with everyone else. Today we thought it easier if you had it here so Kira made you lunch." He told me. I frowned slightly. When had Kira been able to give him that? Or even make it in the first place?

"God that new class is annoyin'." Yuki said as she flash stepped in before grabbing the last box and digging in hungrily. Kira was a really good cook.

"Why's that then?" Yoshiro asked with blatant curiosity and amusement. I was curious too so I also listened intently, watching her as I spooned the rice into my mouth with the chopsticks. Yuki huffed slightly as she popped a meatball into her mouth and chomped on it viciously. Swallowing, she answered.

"All of 'um are a bunch of pusses. May 'ave the talent but they sure don't 'ave the brains or the perseverance to put 'um to any good use!" she moaned, crossing her legs and lounging over the bench she was sat on. I hid a grin and decided to like her, for the time being at least. Yoshiro chuckled slightly.

"Well, I'm sure you won't have the same trouble this afternoon. She's been very attentive." He informed the woman, causing her hard eyes to fall on me; studying me as I continued to eat, all the while keeping my eyes on hers. Then she grinned.

"We'll see now wont me. I'm sure I'm not as kind as you when it comes to these kind o' things." She said a hint of a threat hidden underneath that sugary voice.

**oxo…oxo**

**Hope your liking this and hope you continue to like it, the kid genius she is. Oh, also remember that she is 17 now and will have developed some girly tendencies. I'm also going to have made Toushiro grow a bit as he was the same height as her when she was, what 10? 12? Dunno. But yes, growth spurt for Shiro-chan!**

**Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**oxo…oxo**

The afternoon lessons were harder than the morning ones but I still, heaven forbid, enjoyed _learning_. Yuki had started off by bullying me slightly but when I told her I had been able to see at least three steps of Ichigo's flash step and even one of Yoruichi's at times she started to warm up to me. The lessons with her, after going through the basic theory of flash stepping, were more physical. We started off by flash stepping round the room and while I got it in the end I was frustrated with the lack of speed I had managed to create. Akane, however, thought different.

"To be even able to get one step first time is an achievement; many people can't get even that." She told me proudly as we walked through the streets that led back to her house. This was to be the last night I spent with her, I knew that much and Akane knew it too but I had promised to come and see her often; as often as possible.

That night passed quickly, us not really doing much due to a lack of things to do. The next morning I arrived back at the school with the only possession I had, my school uniform. Yuki had given it to me yesterday but had told me not to put it on until I was here in case I got it dirty. I didn't see the problem but followed her instructions, pulling on the uniform when I arrived at my new room. It was a double room, containing two large single beds and two chests of draws. There was a walk in closet to hang cloths and two small bed side tables; one next to each bed.

I was the only one in here at the moment and I could see no sign of anyone else so I set my old kimono on the bed nearest the window before walking back down to where I hopped the office was. The girl at the desk was the same one who had been there the day I arrived and she smiled at me as she saw me.

"Karin right?" she asked me as I walked up. I nodded slightly before watching her rummage through the papers again and bring out my timetable and a map of the school. "The route highlighted is the one to get you to your classroom and your room. The dining hall is here and the first year common room is over here. Got it?" she explained, running her finger along the map; pointing out the places she had told me. I nodded slightly as I studied the map and timetable before looking up at her.

"What about my days with Izuru?" I asked her, not bothering with his full title. "Where do I go for them?" she studied me intently before straightening stiffly.

"You will meet lieutenant Izuru here." she told me, her voice turned suddenly cold before she sat down again and turned from me, dismissing me rudely. I frowned and walked out. Leave her to her childish behaviour; I never liked her anyway. Jealous pansy.

As I made my way back to the classroom I had been in the day before, I wondered about my family. What were they doing? How had they taken my death? Would I ever be able to see them again; speak to them again? I only got lost twice before I managed to arrive at the room; a feat I was faintly proud of. Yuki, however, was looking rather annoyed at my apparent lateness.

"You're late lil' missy!" she scolded me, leaning up against one of the benches with a furrowed brow and crossed arms. I smiled apologetically before sliding into the desk and looking up at her attentively. She sighed before straightening, allowing her body to support its own weight as she walked over towards me. The lessons with her that day were like the ones he day before and by the end of it I was happy to say I was faster than I was before. The next lesson was with Yoshiro and it was another theory, this time on Zampacto.

"Your Zampacto is part of your soul and will show itself to you when it feels you're ready." He explained informatively. I looked at him in interest as he continued his lecture.

"How did you get yours?" I asked him, cutting across whatever else it was he was about to say. He lifted an eyebrow before pulling out his Zampacto and holding it in front of his face. His eyes seemed slightly glazed before he blinked, his eyes refocusing on me.

"She visited me when I was unconscious." He told me bluntly before sheathing his sword and continuing with his lecture like nothing had happened.

**xxx…xxx**

When I arrived back at my room I was tired, very tired. The only thing I felt like doing was sleeping. Unfortunately that wasn't immediately possible due to the girl that was sat in the other bed when I walked in. she looked up at me with sky blue eyes, running a brush through her long golden hair as she smiled nervously at me. It was the girl I had seen in the hall before we had found out if we were through.

I was glad to see she had made it through too. She had seemed a nice girl and I was happy to be able to become her roommate. She set her hairbrush down on the side table before getting up to greet me with a shy smile on her face.

"Hello. I'm Fujitoka Yume." She introduced herself, holding her hand out in front of her for me to shake. I grinned.

"Kurosaki Karin." I countered, grasping the hand offered and shaking it vigorously. Her smile widened slightly at my attitude to her. I assumed she was the type of girl who liked everyone but didn't like not being liked. That was fine with me.

_Karin_

I blinked. What the hell? Who was that? I looked at Yume but she didn't say anything. It had sounded like it had come from my head but that wasn't possible, was it? _"Your Zampacto is part of your soul and will show itself to you when it feels your ready." _Yoshino had said. Part of my soul…did that mean they spoke to me in my head? Was it my Zampacto talking to me? A surge of excitement ran through me at the thought but I suppressed it. No, I wasn't sure so there was no point getting worked up. If it showed itself when the user was ready then I would find out when I was ready, wouldn't I?

Sighing slightly, I walked past Yume and flopped onto my bed, causing her to giggle slightly. I smiled at her before curling up into a ball on the stupidly comfortable bed and was asleep before I knew it.

The next day I was to be with Kira and I was looking forward to it. I was proud to admit that I only got lost once on my way to the office from the dining hall and I arrived only one minute late. Kira studied my smug smile as I walked over to him with raised eyebrows.

"What's got you so pleased?" he asked me curiously. I told him and he chuckled slightly before leading me out and flash stepping to the third squad barracks. When we arrived I had to stop with my hands on my knees, gulping down air like camel downing water. "Did I go to fast for you?" Kira asked in concern and I looked up at him with a small smile.

"It's ok." I assured him. "I need to get faster so it's good practice." I explained. He didn't look convinced but he nodded anyway before gesturing for me to follow him and walking into one of the offices. The office was large with two paper covered desks and a sofa in the middle. It was also quite open with a window at the side that let light flood it.

He set me to work on the masses of paperwork that flooded one of the desks and it led me to wonder where exactly the captain was. If Kira was only the vice captain, why was he doing _all_ the paperwork? It didn't make sense to me but I said nothing about it, filling out the papers as instructed. It was a boring task and not half as fun as the other lessons but I didn't complain; it was necessary to see my brother again.

The second half of the day was spent with the sixth years, learning more in the art of the sword. Most of it I knew which gave the lesson a very repetitive feel to it. The students all looked down on me too, or they did at least, until we started sparring and I beat them all. Suckers. Swordplay was something I was good at, thanks to Urahara and his shop training me until I was dead on my feet tired.

I went straight to sleep that night though this time my sleep wasn't quite so peaceful.

**oxo…oxo**

**Well, I hope you like this story as I do. I'm going to time skip allot of her school stuff and put her straight into the squads… so she can meet Shiro-chan again! **

**Please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**oxo…oxo**

"_Karin" a feminine voice called out to me from above. I opened my eyes slowly before looking up and gasping at what I saw. It was a dragon, red and scaly with its skin on fire. But it wasn't burning. The flames looked like they were a part of the dragon, radiating out from its very core. It opened it mouth before letting out a rumble from its very being. "Karin" it repeated, moving its head towards me, its eyes meeting mine. _

"_Who are you?" I asked, my voice ringing in the blackness of this dream world. _

"_I am your Zampacto." She told me, her voice light and fluffy but beautiful as fire. _

"_What is your name?" I asked her with an excited curiosity. She cocked her head to look at me, her deep golden eyes warm despite her ferocious appearance. _

"_my name you ask?" she replied, her eyes boring into mine for a moment before she pulled away, letting out a animalistic screech to the heavens before spreading her wings wide and sending a flame of fire at me. I flinched slightly but the flames did not burn. I was covered in a warm layer of fire that licked comfortably at my skin. "My name." she said again. "Say my name." _

_And I suddenly knew what it was. Smiling slightly as exhilaration rushed through me, I opened my mouth and said her name._

"_Seikaryuu."_

**xxx…xxx**

I woke with a start, immediately realising something was different. Shuffling around in my bed I gasped as my hand connected with something hard. Pulling of my covers I blinked as I saw the Zampacto that was lying quietly next to me. I picked it up in amazement, studying the orange and red decorated hilt and barren sheath. Drawing it, I ran my finger along the steel blade, feeing my heart beat a million miles an hour in anticipation.

Pulling on my uniform, I raced down to the dining hall, leaving Yume in bed, scoffed my breakfast and hurried into the classroom, my new Zampacto in my belt. Yoshiro looked up in surprise as I barged in, early as I was.

"What's the mater?" he asked, nothing the look on my face with furrowed eyebrows. I pulled out the Zampacto, fumbling with the sheath as I struggled to get it out in excitement.

"A Zampacto!" I told him, holding it up for the surprised teacher to see. He looked at it before holding his hand out to brush the blade.

"That was fast." He told me as he began to come back to his senses. I nodded.

"I had a dream last night about it and when I woke, here it was." I explained, acting like a little child in my excitement. I was finally getting somewhere. That lesson was spent in one of the many open air training grounds trying to get my Zampacto into shikai. I didn't manage it that time and it actually took me another three weeks to get there but when I did I was ecstatic.

My shikai was a fire type, the blade becoming engulfed in flames that only hurt what I was trying to attack. It also had a chain attached to the end of it that had a strange metal disk on the end that was also engulfed in flames. When I started practicing with it more I found I could shoot flame dragons out of the end of it and send them at the enemy. This little titbit caused Yoshiro to look at me with a new interest I didn't understand.

"Did you know that's almost the same as one of the captains?" Yuki replied me when I asked her about it. I frowned.

"No, which one." Yuki raised an eyebrow.

"Captain of tenf; Hitsugaya Toushiro." She told me, causing my eyes to widen. That was Toushiro's Zampacto? But I thought his was ice? I asked her and she nodded slightly, a frown on her face as she looked at me. "Yes, 'is is ice but it spouts dragons like yours." She explained. I got it I suppose but I wasn't completely sure what that meant.

It didn't crop up again for a long time and as I worked on practicing my Zampacto skills and kido I found myself leading more and more training exercises for first years. I found it was something I enjoyed and the sense of responsibility it gave me made me feel as if I was finally doing something worthwhile. I also enjoyed my trips to the barracks with Kira and one day, as I was sat in his office doing some paperwork, I heard a sharp voice that sounded so familiar to me I wondered how I could only have known it for a couple of days.

It felt so refreshing to hear a voice from my life and I felt my heart soar as the voice of Toushiro Hitsugaya came closer and closer, seemingly heading in this direction. Kira had heard it to and was looking up, watching the doorway in anticipation. After a shrill laugh from a hyper sounding girl that I figured was probably Matsumoto, the frowning captain entered the room, obviously not in a good enough mood to knock. His eyes flew straight to Kira, not giving me any particular attention as the lieutenant scrambled to his feet.

"Lieutenant Isuzu." Toushiro began, his eyes hard and voice weary. Kira nodded slightly

"Yes captain?" he replied, seemingly confused by the boys arrival. But then he wasn't a boy anymore; he had grown. He was taller, his features older and more mature. His voice had also become slightly deeper if that was possible and he looked so much more handsome than he had the last time I had seen him. I blinked. Where on earth had that thought come from?

"There's been some trouble in your part of the Rukongai. I need you to have a look as soon as possible." The captain replied, his eyes twitching as his lieutenant walked in to stand just behind him, a large grin spread on her face. Her eyes, however, wandered and they widened when she saw me. I gave her a small smile and she nodded at me, smiling back.

"Yes sir." Kira replied, catching my attention as both Matsumoto and I turned back to the two talking. The blondes eyes had wandered over to me and he was studying me with a look that made me suspect he was considering taking me with him. I smiled at the thought; that could be quite fun. I couldn't see Toushiro's face as his back was to me but I imagined he was frowning, not sure why Kira was looking past him. I imagined this because, not long after, he turned around; his eyes widening comically as he saw and recognised me. Tentatively I lifted a hand, waving it vaguely before gulping under his gaze and looking away.

"Karin?" he asked quietly and I looked back at him, my hand dropping back onto the desk with a small thud. Then I smiled.

"Hello Toushiro." I replied, my eyes closing as I cocked my head with a smile. When I opened them again he had composed himself and his expression was stoic. It was Matsumoto who broke the tense silence that followed.

"How did you manage to get to the soul society?" she asked, walking over to me with a smile. My eyes focused on her and I smiled grimly back.

"I died." I answered her simply and her smile disappeared, her back straightening as a guilty look came to her face. Toushiro's eyes had narrowed slightly as he had folded his arms. My smile widened at their expressions; I would have thought the news of my death would have spread further than this but then I looked at Kira's expression and I realised they had been trying to keep it quiet. I was thankful for that.

"I'm sorry." Matsumoto said quietly, obviously quite guilty at her question. I smirked slightly.

"Don't worry about it. It's not like you knew." I told her, brushing her apology off and grinning as she smiled.

"So you're in the academy? Then what brings you to Kira's office? I never saw you as the type to do paperwork." She joked, her chirpy voice back and a sparkle in her blue eyes. I opened my mouth to answer but Kira answered for me, causing everyone to look at him.

"She was put on a private course because she had sixth year skill in some things and first year skills in others. The head also thinks she will be given either a third seat position or even a lieutenant one so this is for her experience." He concluded, looking a little unsettled with us all looking at him. Then Toushiro sighed.

"We don't have time for this." He said heavily before waking to the door. I frowned slightly as he walked past me without looking at me but he stopped at the door before turning his aqua eyes to stare into my ocean blue ones. "It was nice to see you again Karin." He said before walking out of the door. I blinked before smiling; waving at the over enthusiastic Matsumoto as she hurried after her captain. Then I looked back at Kira who was looking at me with interest. Then he smiled; a nice, genuine smile that made me smile back.

"Let's go and investigate this 'trouble in the Rukongai' shall we?" he asked, causing me to grin as I finally got up from the desk I had been sat at and followed the blonde out of the door.

**oxo…oxo**

**Ok, so this is slightly longer than some of the others but it all fit, I think. I hope people like this story and will continue to read it. ^_^ I also hope all the characters are in, well, character...**

**Please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**oxo…oxo**

It didn't take long for Kira and I, along with a small group of seated officers, to reach the area of Rukongai that was having problems. It wasn't fully noticeable however what the problem was until we heard a loud shout followed by terrified screaming that was quickly cut off before new ones replaced them. I gulped slightly before following Kira as he flash stepped quickly to the source of the commotion. As I flash stepped I could feel Seikaryuu against my hip and I had to admit that I liked the feeling of power it gave me. When we got there I gasped slightly at the sight in the street.

It was a hollow. People were running around in mad panic as it tore through houses and ripped the people it caught into pieces. Though it was a small hollow, about the shape and size of a chunky lion, it was fast and didn't have any problems wreaking havoc. Kira drew his Zampacto before leaping off the building we were standing on top of and attacking the hollow who, somehow, managed to block the blow to the head and fling itself around, wiping Kira with the long spined tail I hadn't noticed before.

Needless to say he went flying into a building, knocking down the wall with the force he hit it with. I flinched slightly before drawing my own Zampacto and hearing the others around me do the same. I eyed them out of the corner of my eye for a moment before we all moved as one, attacking the monster together.

It screeched, unhappy at our interference, before turning to meet our attack, managing to block most of us, countering each, but it squealed harshly as one of the other shinigami that I vaguely remembered as the fourth seat slashed its back deeply.

"Nice work!" Kira applauded as he rejoined us, a small cut to his eye that, though shallow, was bleeding heavily. I was on the other side of the hollow, the tail end, and was watching it closely as Kira began issuing orders. "Seko; Join Karin!" was the only bit I caught and my eyes wandered to a shinigami with black hair who was moving towards me with determined brown eyes. He was too focused on that however and didn't notice the hollow tail coming quickly towards him.

Gritting my teeth I flash stepped as quickly as I could towards him and blocked the tail just in time to the great surprise of the unseated officer. My arms shook as I continued to hold back the massive power that was behind the hollows tail and the man behind me continued to stare at me with wide eyes being no help what so ever.

"All right there bright eyes?" I asked him through my teeth causing him to come to his senses and help me, chopping the tail off without much effort as I held it in place. The hollow screamed in pain as its detached appendage fell to the floor before dissolving into the air, blood staining the stone surface.

"Thanks." Seko said breathlessly, watching me out of the corner of his eye. I nodded slightly before grinning at him and moving out of the way of the hollow's jaw as it took a bite at us.

"No problem." I replied with a grin and would have probably made some cheeky comments about his not paying attention to the hollow but I was more focused on Kira as he managed to cleave the hollow's mask in two. It dissolved quickly and we were soon stood in the middle of the road with people watching us timidly from their hiding spaces.

Where I had expected some kind of signs of relief from them at the death of the hollow, and gratitude to us for killing it for them, there was nothing but a tense and suspicious silence. Walking over to Kira I felt a sudden feeling of great unease that made me unwilling to sheath my Zampakuto but I did it anyway as Kira did, his own eyes also weary as he watched the people.

"Alright, let's go." Kira said, his tone tired but his eyes alert. I nodded slightly along with the men and was about to follow them away when I heard a yell from behind me and turned to see a large man racing towards me with an axe, an angry but desperate look in his eyes. My own eyes widening I had just a second to react, pulling out my Zampakuto again and placing it in between me and the axe.

It hit me like a train, causing my feet to slide backwards in the dusty ground and almost ripping my Zampakuto out of my hand as I just about managed to block it, my teeth gritting together a I struggled to keep the axe from cutting me in half. I could hear a commotion behind me from the rest of the group as they turned to see I had been attacked. From what I could hear it wasn't normal to be attacked like this.

"Enough! What do you think you are doing?" Came Kira's voice and the man's eyes widening, seeming to panic as he realised this fight wasn't exactly going to be easy. He had obviously been hoping for a single hit and a get away, not expecting me to be able to block his large axe. With all honesty I hadn't thought I would have been able to block it either but they do say that a person's strength can double in the face of danger.

Giving it another shot, the man took his axe away before taking a step back and using the stance to swing it at me again. This time I didn't need to block because Kira did it for me, placing his Zampacto the same way I had before pushing the man away from him. The man landed on the ground hard before flinching as Kira pointed his sword at him. The lieutenant's eyes were serious and unforgiving and, looking at them, I began to a get a feel for the sheer amount of power my mentor possessed.

The other people were whispering loudly and urgently as the man awaited his punishment, some scowling and scathing, others with wide eyes. I took them in with a hint of pity; the few days I had been in the Rukongai I had never seen people as rough looking as these, their kimono's torn and dirty as they sat over their ragged bodies. They all seemed so thin, as if they got no food at all. But they didn't need any right? I wasn't sure why but it looked like lack of food for people who didn't need to eat and that just didn't make any sense.

Kira sighed heavily, drawing my attention back to him and he man cowering on the floor. Slowly, Kira with Drew his sword before turning to us and nodding, his eyes resting on me for an instant, seemingly checking that I was ok. I nodded back with a small smile on my face before he turned to glare at the man. Then he was sheathing his Zampacto and walking away, leading us for a few steps down the road before turning to flash step and leaving, the rest of the group not far behind.

**oxo…oxo**

**Ok, so this is chapter six. Sorry for the wait, it took me some time to get into it.**

**Please review! **


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